Merry Christmas Eve! Here is Part 2 of my Top Ten Games of 2014. What were your favorite games? Do you agree with my choices? Let me know! http://www.ign.com/blogs/falcon-x32/2014/12/24/whats-your-game-of-the-year-heres-mine-part-2/ - 2 years ago

Every great success once started as a simple idea. E3, PAX, GDC, and all the other expos we know and love were not always what they are today. They become a success story through the culmination of hard work, a passion for the video game industry, and the right people in the right places.

In Columbus, OH, this formula is working at an unprecedented pace as we speak. The Ohio Game Developer Expo (OGDE), taking place October 24th-26th at local Science Center COSI, is looking to take the industry by storm and continue its momentum in only its second year.

Bringing together developers and video game enthusiasts from around the world, the OGDE is a weekend full of speakers, workshops (Including a Unity 5 showcase!), an Extra Life sponsored gaming area, and many more game-centric events. It's all about building a community and a home for developers and gamers alike. It's about giving gamers of all ages a chance to learn, have fun, and give back to those who need it the most.

Speaking of giving back, the OGDE takes place the same weekend as Extra Life, the 24-hour gaming marathon that has raised millions of dollars for the Children's Miracle Network. Gamers looking to participate during the Expo will have plenty of chances to do so. Tournaments, free-play areas, raffles, and more will be available throughout the weekend.

This charitable aspect helps set the OGDE apart from the others, and gives gamers a chance heal kids while playing the games they already love to play. In addition, by joining local team Extra Life Columbus, every $10 you raise (or buy at the expo) earns you a raffle ticket towards prizes such as a PlayStation 4, Destiny Ghost Edition (PS4), and signed steelbooks of The Last of Us Remastered.

What we are witnessing here are the first steps of a dream becoming reality. In the early stages of the OGDE, we've seen a great swell of interest, including sponsorships from Microsoft, Unity, COSI, and others. Gamers are flying in from around the world to come to Ohio's capital and share in the love of video games.

The Ohio Game Developer Expo is giving those up and coming developers a chance to learn, and not feel as if they must go out west to develop games.

There is a passion and drive here unlike many other places. Those behind this expo are giving it their all and doing what they can to catch lightning in a bottle. It's no easy task, but the pieces seem to be starting to fall into the right places.

Before we know it, the OGDE may be as big as E3 or PAX, and we will remember this day as the beginning. We will have been a part of the next big thing.

What can be more exciting than that?

How can you be a part of The Ohio Gamer Developer Expo? Go to ohiogamedevexpo.com to purchase your tickets.

Want to join Extra Life Columbus, and start raising money to help kids and win prizes? Go to extralifecolumbus.com.

In 1998, a group of about 25 game developers held a very "informal" game-centric conference. They had a dream and a vision to provide a venue and platform for developers to showcase their work and speak to the world about the incredible medium known as video games. Fast forward to today, and The Game Developer Conference is now the "the world's largest and longest-running professionals-only game industry event." The Ohio Game Developer Expo (OGDE) in Columbus, Ohio, is following in their footsteps and laying the foundation for the next big event in the gaming world.

On December 7th, 2013, developers from all around Ohio and beyond will converge at Ohio State's Union to show the world that there is some true talent in the Buckeye state. From YEI Technology with their PrioVR motion tracking device to Multivarious Games and their puzzle game, Hatch-It, there will an incredible array of games and technology on display. Not only that, throughout the day there will be a speaker series that will highlight those who have done incredible work for video games and happen to call the Midwest home.

Along with the speaker series and games showcase, Extra Life will have a huge presence. Raising over $4 million this year alone, The Ohio Game Developer's Expo will help push that number to even greater heights. There will be tournaments, raffles, prizes, and so much more. So, while you are seeing the beginning of something revolutionary, you can have fun while helping the kids who deserve it the most.

Ohio, and the surrounding area, is home to some truly visionary and talented individuals, but until now have all been spread out. Starting with this year's OGDE, those in the community will finally have a place to have their voice heard and can come together to truly foster worthwhile development.

Every great expo and conference has to start somewhere. If you look at many of the most successful companies in the world, a vast majority of them started off in a garage with nothing but a dream. WE are creating that dream and providing a place for those who love gaming and technology as much as we do.

Why not shoot for the stars? Why not put everything into what we believe in and create history, right here, right now? With over 40 booths and nine speakers throughout the day in our first year, I'd say we are off to a pretty good start.

Every journey starts with a single step and the courage to succeed. If you don't take that step, you will never reach the destination that is right there for the taking. E3, GDC, Gamescom, PAX, and all the others have their place, but there is a staggering amount of untapped potential in the Midwest.

We are here to forever change that.

Below are some links that will give you more information about The Ohio Game Developer Expo, how you can attend, and so much more;

A few weeks back I wrote a piece that was featured on the front page of IGN.com, Help Me Make a Difference in Our World, and the response was unbelievable. I wanted to update everyone as to the progress of our attempt at creating something revolutionary for children in need. Also, if you wish to join an Extra Life team or are looking for something to do tomorrow if you live by OSU, this is for you as well!

To start of with, because of the support of the incredible IGN community and others rallying around this cause, our first attempt at making a huge Extra Life push in Columbus has been a huge success. We have raised over $6,000 before Extra Life's marathon day, and it's been absolutely incredible! We are currently ranked 27th out of 3,435 teams. This is incredibly humbling and will make us push even harder for those kids who deserve it the most.

Tomorrow, we will be hosting Columbus' First Annual Extra Life Marathon at Ohio State's Union for Nationwide Children's Hospital and it's looking to be something truly remarkable. We have the support of Dave and Busters, KDB, Noodle's & Co., and so much more. We will be having tournaments, free-play areas, retro areas, prizes, free food, and so much more. We are even giving away a PlayStation 4, and every $10 you raise towards Nationwide Children's Hospital gets you a ticket towards the grand prize.

We don't want this to be the end. We have until December 31st to raise as much money as possible and our team will fight until the very last second for those kids down the street from us.

We have partnered with the Ohio Game Developer's Conference and will be hosting another Extra Life event on December 7th to gain even more support for our cause.

It's so incredible to see the different people and organizations rally together for a cause such as this. We have been working with two of the biggest gaming groups at Ohio State, BuckeyeLAN and e-Sports Initiative, and they will be hosting League of Legends tournaments, broadcasting on Twitch to raise more money, and have helped put together our vision.

BuckeyeThon, the largest student-run philanthropy group at OSU has been instrumental as well. Not only have they went out of their comfort zone to help with video games, but have given their full support and it would not have been possible without them.

So, if you haven't joined an Extra Life team, or find yourself by Ohio State's campus tomorrow, please stop on by. Come hang out with some incredible people and challenge them in Super Smash Bros. Brawl or NBA 2K14. Come for the free food and wealth of prizes we will be giving away all day. Come for the chance to win a coveted PlayStation 4. Come and make a difference with us.

Every journey must begin with a first step, and we are well on our way.

Better yet, think of what that word can mean to a child suffering from a disease that he or she does not deserve.

Life, unfortunately, does not deal in fairness, and the cards that are dealt to us are not always in our favor. What life does give us, however, is the power to make a difference. We, as human beings, have the power and the choice to make a real, tangible change in this world, and it all begins with the courage to take that first step.

My step, my first of many, is Extra Life.

Extra Life, for those unfamiliar, is a 24-hour gaming marathon that raises money for the Children's Miracle Network. It all began in 2008 to honor the memory of a truly incredible young girl named Victoria Enmon. She lost her battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, but not before touching and changing the lives of all those around her.

This truly life-changing cause caught fire and Extra Life has been raising more and more money each year for kids like Victoria around the country. Last year alone, they raised over $2.3 million!

Victoria's story and Extra Life inspired me and brought me to one incredible realization:

I live in Columbus, OH, right next to The Ohio State University. With over 55,000 students, I can bet many of them like video games and helping others. Why not bring Extra Life to this great school? Why not try and capture these students and gamers and raise an unprecedented amount of money for our local Children's Miracle Network Hospital, Nationwide Children's?

I put my plan in action and got in touch with Extra Life, and they introduced me to BuckeyeThon, the largest student-run philanthropy group at OSU. They host, among other fund-raising events, a Dance Marathon that raised over $608,000 for Nationwide Children's Hospital last year.

After working with incredible people from their organization over the past few months, I can proudly say that my dream is now a reality.

We have been planning and preparing for Columbus' Extra Life Event on November 2nd, and it has been one of the most rewarding projects I have ever worked on. We are hosting our event at the Ohio State Union, and we will have marathoners, tournaments, prizes, food, and so much more. We will also have events taking place around Columbus that will help further benefit Nationwide Children's Hospital. We also encourage you to host your own event, and take this cause to even greater heights.

We are on the verge of something truly spectacular, and it becomes even more so each and every day.

However, I can't do it alone. I need your help. I need you to help me change the lives of kids like those pictured above. While this started as an Ohio State project, it has grown beyond our wildest expectations and has become a movement.

How can you help? Simple.

Join our team.Support me. Spread the word. Raise money. Then, on November 2nd, play games all day long while helping cure these incredible young boys and girls. All the money you donate goes directly to the Children's Miracle Network, and you can actually go and see your contribution making a difference.

The power to save lives and make a difference is inside each and every one of us. Every step, big or small, is one step closer to a cure we are all fighting for. As Mahatma Ghandi once said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Without the courage to take action in what you believe, the world will just keep on spinning as it always has.